


Lavender and Peaches

by RebaK1tten



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Fluff and Angst, Hair Washing, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-14
Updated: 2013-05-14
Packaged: 2017-12-11 20:02:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/802664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RebaK1tten/pseuds/RebaK1tten
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for CM Kink Meme 3.</p>
<p>Spencer is hurt on a case and Dave takes care of him at home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lavender and Peaches

It ended up as a cluster-fuck. At first, Dave thought it would be a relatively clean case; and by that, he meant that no one had their heart carved out of their chest. Yes, six women had been kidnapped, raped and left in Catholic churches around the DC area. But none had been killed and fed to hogs, so all in all, not as bad as it could be. Things are all relative in the BAU.

At the end, however, their unsub had his last victim in the Potomac River ready to kill her and himself. He lost his grip on her and he went over the falls. Spencer was closest to her and went into the freezing water and held onto her, dragging her back away from the Great Falls. He got her out and into Morgan’s arms and she was quickly taken to the local hospital. Hotch was on the bank of the river and pulled Spencer from the water. He’d been in for over twenty minutes.

The ambulance recorded his initial temperature at just over 93 degrees. At the hospital, the emergency room staff rushed him in for treatment of moderate hypothermia.  

The team waits in the emergency room. Waiting for Spencer to be treated in the ER seems almost normal at this point – it’s Spencer in his natural habitat.  

After a while, a doctor comes out and calls, “Agent Hotchner?”

Aaron stands and grabs Dave by the arm and drags him over. “I’m Agent Hotchner. How is Agent Reid?”

 The doctor stops for a minute and looks at Dave, but Aaron has his SSA Hard Ass look on, and the doctor folds. “He’s going to be okay, we’re treating him and he’s responding well. We’ll probably keep him overnight.”  The doctor looks down at her chart for a minute and then says, “He’s allergic to narcotics?”

Aaron is puzzled for a minute, unsure how the doctor knows about Spencer’s “allergy.”  Dave jumps in, “Yes, he has a bad reaction when he takes them.”

“Okay. I don’t think he’ll need anything, but we’ll note it, especially since he went to the trouble of a tattoo.”

Aaron gives Dave a quick look at the tattoo comment and asks, “When can he have a visitor?”

“In about 30 minutes or so. Someone will come get you.” With that, the doctor leaves.

Aaron updates the team and suggests that they go home. It’s been a long couple of days and Spencer will be fine. He and Dave will wait for him to be released.  They stand and mutter comforting things. Emily gives Dave’s arm a squeeze and JJ gives him a smile when she leaves.

They flop in the uncomfortable waiting room chairs. Aaron turns to Dave, “I have Reid’s medical power of attorney. Perhaps you two should discuss if that should be changed.”

Dave and Spencer’s relationship hasn’t been discussed with Aaron. Dave actually thought that his team wasn’t aware, but of course that’s stupid. They probably knew as soon as it started. Hell, they probably knew before he did. They sit and wait until a nurse comes out and tells them that one person can sit in the ER cube where Spencer will spend the night.

Aaron tells the nurse Agent Rossi will stay and to call him if there’s any problems. He politely tells the nurse goodnight and sternly whispers to Dave, “Behave yourself – don’t make me come back here.”

Dave spends the night sitting by Spencer’s bedside watching him and the monitors in the room. Spencer is on a warming bed with heated blankets around him and hot water bottles around his groin and armpits. His temperature is slowly rising, but Dave still sees how pale he is and that his lips have a bluish tint. Dave leaves only briefly to grab his and Spencer’s travel bags for a change of clothes.

The nurses are all very nice; Spencer brings out that out in people, especially women. Sometimes it bugs him, but Dave is willing to accept it tonight. One of the nurses brings in a small bag of items; Spencer’s watch, cell phone and the black ribbon he was wearing around his neck. All are ruined but all can be replaced.

Towards morning, Spencer’s temperature is back to 97 degrees and the doctors agree he can be released to go home. Spencer is quiet as Dave helps him get dressed and helps him sign out of the hospital. While Spencer is finishing paperwork, Dave uses his phone to connect to his house and turn up the heat and turn on the lights.

When they get home, the house is toasty warm. Dave helps Spencer get to the bedroom and tells him to get undressed and under the covers for a couple of minutes. Dave starts running a bath to get the stale water smell off him and keep him warm.  The tub is large and takes a few minutes to fill, so Dave runs downstairs for a couple of glasses of brandy. He pours some lavender bath salts into the tub along with some matching bubble bath. Vanilla candles are lit and Dave turns on some quiet music. Several towels and another bathrobe are put on the towel heater for later.

Back in the bedroom, he helps Spencer get to the bathroom and pours a bit of brandy into him and helps Spencer settle into the tub. For the first time in hours, Spencer sighs and looks at peace. Dave helps him with another sip of brandy. “Sit back, Kitten, let me take care of you.”

Spencer leans against the back of the tub and shuts his eyes. “Thanks, Dave. I’m just so tired still. I’ve been sleeping for hours, but I’m so exhausted.”

“Yeah, that’s expected. You nearly drowned, you should be tired. Can you duck down a minute and wet your hair so I can wash it?” Dave isn’t certain if Spencer will want to go under the water so soon, but he goes under and pops back up.

Dave takes a bottle of peach scented shampoo, pours some into his hands and then gently rubs it through Spencer’s hair. He cups his hands, getting more water in with the shampoo to get a lot of suds and then gently massages Spencer’s head and down his neck. The small moans let him know that he’s got it right. “Tilt your head back a little, baby.”

Spencer leans back and shuts his eyes and Dave pours a couple of cups of bathwater over the suds. When it looks like the suds are out, he pours some conditioner into his hands and goes back to the scalp massage. After a few minutes, he soaps up his hands and rubs Spencer’s shoulders and then down his back. He moves to Spencer’s chest and armpits and then down his belly. More soap and he’s lifting one of Spencer’s legs gently out of the water to wash his one leg and foot and then the other.  Spencer is limp like a rag doll with a small smile.

“That’s terrific, thank you, David. Maybe you can do that sometime when I’m not feeling like shit?”

“I look forward to it. Finish your brandy and I’ll rinse your hair.”

Spencer sits up out of the water and Dave pours a couple of cups of clean, warm water over his head and then brushes the hair off his forehead.

“Finished. Let me help you out of the tub and get you into bed.”

Dave wraps a towel around Spencer’s hair and the warm bathrobe around him and walks him into the bedroom. Spencer tries to crawl into bed, but Dave stops him to take the towel off his head and pull a comb quickly through the snarls.  He pulls a long sleeve t-shirt over Spencer’s head while Spencer mutters, “Sleep naked,” but Dave knows he’ll want his arms covered later.

Dave gets Spencer into bed and gets in behind him, ready to spoon. Spencer suddenly reaches over him to dig in the nightstand drawer. “What do you want, honey, I’ll get it,” Dave tells him as he pushes Spencer back on his side.

“Want my ribbon, I had it and lost it. With a bell, want the jingley bell.” Dave knows Spencer is exhausted because he’s getting cranky and whiny. It doesn’t bother Dave too much because it doesn’t happen often and Dave is pretty sure that Spencer didn’t get a chance to be sick and cranky a lot when he was a kid.  

Dave goes in the drawer and picks out a blue silk ribbon with a silver bell and puts it around Spencer’s neck and clips it in the back.

“Hmm, thanks. Wanna make sure you don’t lose me,” Spencer murmurs as he backs further into Dave’s chest. Normally Spencer takes up at least his half of the bed, but when he’s tired or not feeling well, he can’t get close enough to Dave.

Dave pulls him as close as possible, wrapping his arms around Spencer and whispers into his hair, “Never gonna happen, never will lose you.”

Spencer is asleep in a second, snoring softly, another indication that he’s exhausted. Dave rests his forehead against the back of Spencer’s head and realizes that he’s exhausted, too. Spencer’s damp hair smells of lavender, peaches and the unique Spencer smell Dave loves.

“Oh, Kitten… I don’t know if that was life number four or five, but we need to be more careful ‘cause I know I can’t lose you.”

“Still here, David… hush, let’s sleep. Love you”

Dave gives Spencer’s hair one last kiss, shuts his eyes and goes to sleep. There’s plenty of time to worry later.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written December 2011. I'm moving things from LJ here and felt like fluffy comfort stuff.
> 
> (Oh and in this world, Spencer sometimes wears a ribbon collar as Dave's kitten.)


End file.
